Abstract
This article examines the benefits and challenges of user-generated content
(comments) on the Facebook pages of emergency management organisations
(EMOs) that manage natural disasters. Although organisational communication
literature acknowledges the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for information
dissemination as part of emergency management, less attention has been paid to comments posted by external organisations and members of the public. To
address these gaps in the literature, this article presents preliminary findings
from a qualitative study of user posts on the Facebook page of two publicly
funded EMOs. An information classification framework is adopted to
understand the technological, organisational and social implications of these
posts. This interpretive research employs a manual thematic analysis of text
comments; it is followed by a qualitative semi-structured interview with seven
emergency management administrators. Preliminary findings indicate that a
study of comments posted by users to EMOs’ SNSs can yield valuable lessons
for stakeholders from past emergencies.
(comments) on the Facebook pages of emergency management organisations
(EMOs) that manage natural disasters. Although organisational communication
literature acknowledges the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for information
dissemination as part of emergency management, less attention has been paid to comments posted by external organisations and members of the public. To
address these gaps in the literature, this article presents preliminary findings
from a qualitative study of user posts on the Facebook page of two publicly
funded EMOs. An information classification framework is adopted to
understand the technological, organisational and social implications of these
posts. This interpretive research employs a manual thematic analysis of text
comments; it is followed by a qualitative semi-structured interview with seven
emergency management administrators. Preliminary findings indicate that a
study of comments posted by users to EMOs’ SNSs can yield valuable lessons
for stakeholders from past emergencies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Communication Worlds |
| Subtitle of host publication | Access, Voice, Diversity, Engagement |
| Place of Publication | Sydney |
| Publisher | ANZCA |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
| Event | ANZCA 2017 Communication Worlds: Access, Voice, Diversity, Engagement - University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Duration: 5 Jul 2017 → 7 Jul 2017 http://anzca2017.com/conference-information/call-for-papers/ |
Conference
| Conference | ANZCA 2017 Communication Worlds |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Sydney |
| Period | 5/07/17 → 7/07/17 |
| Internet address |